Hastings Racecourse in Vancouver, BC, begins its 2024 racing season on Saturday, April 27th, with a first race post time of 2:30 pm PDT and, as is the case with so many tracks, entries have been hard to come by. The opening day card has six races and 34 horses entered. Woodbine’s opening day card, also on Apr. 27, is also light, with 10 races and 73 horses.
The 2024 season marks the debut of Friday night racing, starting on May 10th at 7 pm PDT. Following the success of some test dates in 2023, the track will now run Friday nights and Saturday afternoons for the majority of the 2024 meet. Along with the new evening programs, the track has installed new LED lighting to enhance the visuals for fans watching in person and on TVs everywhere.
The track will also be introducing a brand-new graphics package, giving it a fresh new look and improving the display of the critical betting info.
In an effort to add more value for horseplayers, Hastings is introducing a new $2 minimum for the Double on the first two and last two races. This new feature is set to generate higher payoffs for players which is further fueled by the low 15% takeout.
Commenting on the upcoming season, Dawn Lupul, Manager of Racing and Communications at Hastings Racecourse, expressed her enthusiasm, stating, “We are coming off a good meet in 2023, and this year is shaping up to be even better. We are really excited about the introduction of Friday night racing and some of the improvements we have made this year.”
Hastings Racecourse has some of the lowest takeouts in the industry at 15% on Win, Place, Show, Double, Pick 3 and Pick 4. In addition, there is a 15% takeout on the classic Hi-5 and Pick 5 pools that have a 100% carryover if there are no winners.
See the full racing schedule here.
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